MI v RPS, IPL 2017: Mumbai take on bogey team Pune in first qualifier

Table-toppers Mumbai Indians will be itching to avenge their double defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in the league stage when the two teams face-off in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Tuesday.

| TNN | Updated: May 16, 2017, 21:27 IST

Highlights

Considering that the Wankhede track will be batting friendly, it is expected to be another high-scoring affair

Supergiant is the only team to have defeated Mumbai Indians twice in the league stage

Mumbai outplayed the KKR in their last league match to secure the top spot

MUMBAI: Three weeks ago, when Rising Pune Supergiant took the expressway from Pune to Mumbai to play hosts Mumbai Indians, their campaign was just beginning to take flight after suffering three reversals on the trot following a win in the opening game against the same opponents in the tenth edition of the IPL.
They had won two games in a row for the first time in a long time in their brief history. Their big players were beginning to warm up. MS Dhoni had engineered a heist in the team's previous win over Sunrisers and Ben Stokes was beginning to justify his expensive price tag and even proved to be the talisman in Mumbai in a tense three-run win.

The Supergiant though also found another hero that day who, till then, was not known to deliver under pressure in the shortest formats. Wiry Saurashtra left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat. Bowling a mixture of wide yorkers and slow off-cutters which stuck in the sluggish pitch, Unadkat stifled players with serious T20 pedigree like Rohit Sharma.

Yes, undoubtedly the team has rallied around Stokes as his three MOM performances show, but the surge has been based on solid teamwork, smart leadership from Steve Smith and the fact that they have found a new hero in every game. The success and impact that players like dashing opener Rahul Tripathi and pacer Shardul Thakur and young offie Washington Sundar have had is proof of that.

It is this mix that has helped them to finish their league engagements as No.2 and earn the right to face table-toppers Mumbai Indians in the first Qualifier at the Wankhede on Tuesday.

Hosts Mumbai Indians, who have also had different players do well for them, will undoubtedly be aware of their two losses to RPS this season (both in the last over). They will also be aware that without Stokes (away on national duty), Pune are not one, but three players short as the feisty Englishman is a match-winner with the bat, ball and in the field.

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who has fallen to wrist spin five times this season, will also be relieved that the ageless leggie, Imran Tahir is back home to prepare for South Africa's tour of England and that will mean one less headache for him. Pune still have Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa who bowl leg-spin.

Rohit will have to really scratch his head though over the team combination. His go-to bowler at the start, middle and death over the years, Lasith Malinga, appears to have lost bite and movement and is proving to be easy meat for even mediocre batsmen.The Sri Lankan, IPL's most successful bowler, with 152 scalps in 107 games with a surreal economy rate of 6.9, has got nine wickets in nine games at 9.50 this season. Mitchell Johnson bowled well in Kolkata and along with Mitch McClenaghan, could form a potent force.

With Jasprit Bumrah (rested vs KKR) in good form and Krunal Pandya back to full fitness and Harbhajan Singh (also rested) proving to be frugal, MI appear to be well served in the bowling department. One can excuse the bleeding at the Wankhede against Kings XI last week as that pitch was less a pitch and more a road.

The batting also looks good despite no one featuring in the top 10 in the run-getters' list. Ambati Rayudu's return to full fitness and form, as was evident in Kolkata, during his knock of 63, would gladden the team management as Nitish Rana's scores were tapering off. Despite Saurabh Tiwary's success at the top, one would expect Parthiv Patel, who was rested against KKR, to get back to his familiar position and open with West Indian Lendl Simmons.

Mumbai Indians won't mind playing on a pitch similar to the one they played Kings XI on. Pune don't have the batting firepower without Stokes to scare MI. And on an expressway, even Unadkat's slow cutters could disappear into the stands.

KEY BATTLES IN STORE

KIERON POLLARD VS DAN CHRISTIAN

Battle of the burly men. Both are hard hitters and while Pollard's bowling has fallen away, Christian's has taken off. The New South Welshman is most comfortable bowling one-over spells which is a great skill to have in T20s. His ability to bowl change of pace in the middle of the innings could fox MI's match-winner, but he bowls the full length often and can get punished and Pollard likes it when it is in his area. The middle-overs battle could be decided by the winner of this contest.

ROHIT SHARMA VS STEVE SMITH

Both are captains and both play key roles in the middle-order. While Smith has had a productive IPL, scoring 420 runs in 13 games, Rohit has been inconsistent in the tournament and has scored 282 runs at 125.33.He has struggled to pick wrist spin. Smith though has been fluent with the bat and assured in his leadership. He outcaptained Rohit especially in the field placements during RPS' three-run win at the Wankhede in April. Rohit would love to get one back.

MITCH MCCLENAGHAN VS RAHUL TRIPATHI

McClenaghan has been MI's man for all seasons since 2015. He hits the deck hard and bowls an excellent knuckleball and can also bowl a sharp bouncer. He also uses the angles on the bowling crease smartly. Tripathi will VS come out all guns blazing as he has done in this IPL and he will try to break up Mcclenaghan's length by dancing down the track. This is an arresting battle.

LENDL SIMMONS VS JAYDEV UNADKAT

In just three games, the Trinidadian has made an impact and belted two blazing 50s. If the Wankhede surface is true, like it was against Kings XI Punjab and the night is dewy, Unadkat will not find the purchase that he usually gets from his cutters. But if the pitch holds up a bit and is a bit dry, then Simmons might find it more challenging to get the left-armer away like he does against other bowlers. Simmons trained a lot against net bowlers bowling left-arm seam on match-eve, anticipating a key duel with Unadkat.That training could come handy.

JASPRIT BUMRAH VS MS DHONI

Finisher against finisher. This is going to be some contest. Bumrah tied the keeper-bat in knots in the April 24 match as RPS failed to get the finishing kick despite a decent start. Dhoni, who can murder medium-pace and length bowling with his fast hands and hitting power, has been off the boil since his heroics against Hyderabad where he massacred Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bumrah has mastered both the wide yorker and the slower yorker and bowls both with little change of action. Something surely has to give way.

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